P s 

To 




PHE TOILING 
OF FELIX 



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3.1 i«^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Cliap..i5?. Copyright No. 

Shelf.___.T^__ 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



This is one of an edition of one hundred 
and twenty-five copies, printed from type at 
the De Vinne Press, in the month of March, 
J 898, of which this is 

No. /^^ 



THE 
TOILING OF FELIX 



A LEGEND 

ON A NEW SAYING OF 

THE CHRIST 



i BY 

HENRY VAN DYKE 




PRIVATELY PRINTED 

NEW YORK 

J898 



r 



^nd COPY 
1898. 




2.00 

•^0C0P1£3 RECEIVED. 






^\ '^ 



Copyright, 1898, 
By HENRY VAN DYKE 



4427 



/.--3f/f^ 



DEDICATED 

IN FRIENDSHIP TO 

WALTER A, WYCKOFF 



PRELUDE 
A LOST WORD OF JESUS 



HEAR a word that Jesus spake 
Eigfhteen centuries ago, 
"Where the crimson lilies blow 
Round the blue Tiberian lake : 
There the bread of life He brake. 

Through the fields of harvest walking 
"With His lowly comrades, talking 
Of the secret thoughts that feed 
"Weary hearts in time of need. 
Art thou hungry ? Come and take ; 
Hear the word that Jesus spake : 
'Tis the sacrament of labour; meat and drink 

divinely blest ; 
Friendship's food, and sweet refreshment; strength 
and courage, joy and rest. 



Hear this word the Master said. 
Long ago and far away — 
Lost in silence many a day. 
Buried with the silent dead, 
"Where the sands of Egypt spread. 



Sea-like, tawny billows heaping 
Over ancient cities sleeping ; 
'While the River Nile between 
Rolls its summer flood of green, 

Rolls its autumn flood of red — 
There the word the Master said, 
"Written on a frail papyrus, scorched by fire, 

wrinkled, torn. 
Hidden in God's hand, was waiting for its resur- 
rection morn* 



Hear the Master's risen word! 

Delving spades have set it free — 
Wake ! the world has need of thee — 
Rise, and let thy voice be heard. 
Like a fountain disinterred. 

Upward springing, singing, sparkling 
Through the doubtful shadows darkling; 
Till the clouds of pain and rage 
Brooding o'er the toiling age, 
As with rifts of light are stirred 
By the music of the Word ; 
Gospel for the heavy-laden, answer to the 

labourer's cry ; 
" ^aise the sione^ and thou shati find cMe; cleave 
the <Tvood, and there ami/' 



JO 



LEGEND 
THE TOILING OF FELIX 



1ISTEN, ye who look for Jesus, long to see 
^ Him close to you, 
To a legend of this saying; how one tried, and 
found it true* 



Born in Egypt, 'neath the shadow of the crum- 
bling gods of night, 

He forsook the ancient darkness, turned his young 
heart toward the Light* 



Felix was the name they gave him, when his 

faith was first confessed; 
But the name was unavailing, for his life was 

yet unblessed* 



Seeking Christ, in vain he waited for the vision 

of the Lord; 
Vainly pondered all the volumes where the creeds 

of men were stored ; 



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Vainly shut himself in silence, keeping vigil nigfht 

and day ; 
Vainly haunted shrines and churches where the 

Christians came to pray* 



One by one he dropped the duties of the common 

life of care ; 
Broke the human ties that bound him ; laid his 

spirit waste and bare ; 



Hoping; that the Lord would enter to that empty 

dwellingf-place, 
And reward the loss of all things with the vision 

of His f ace* 



Still the blessed vision tarried ; still the light was 
unrevealed ; 

Still the Master, dim and distant, kept His coun- 
tenance concealed. 



Fainter grew the hope of finding, wearier grew 
the fruitless quest ; 

Prayer, and penitence, and fasting gave no com- 
fort, brought no rest* 



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In the darkness of the temple, ere the lamp of 

faith went out, 
Felix knelt before the altar — lonely, sad, and full 

of doubt* 



** Hear me, O Thou migfhty Master,'^ from the 

altar-step he cried, 
''Let my one desire be granted, let my hope be 

satisfied ! 



^ Only once I long to see Thee, in the fulness of 

Thy grace : 
Break the clouds that now enfold Thee, with the 

sunrise of Thy face ! 



** All that men desire and treasure have I counted 

loss for Thee ; 
Every task have I forsaken, save this one — my 

Lord to see* 



** Loosed the sacred bands of friendship, solitary 

stands my heart ; 
Thou shalt be my sole companion when I see 

Thee as Thou art. 



J5 



** From Thy distant throne in §fIof y, flash upon 

my inward sigfht, 
Fill the midnight of my spirit with the splendour 

of Thy li§:ht» 



^ All Thine other gifts and blessings, common 

mercies, I disown ; 
Separated from my Brothers, I would see Thy face 

alone* 



** Let them toil and pray together, let them win 

earth's best reward. 
This shall be my only glory — I alone have seen 

the Lord* 



'^ I have watched and I have waited as one watch- 

eth for the morn : 
Still Thou hidest in the heavens, still Thou leav- 

est me forlorn* 



** Now I seek Thee in the desert, where the holy 

hermits dwell ; 
ThztCf beside the saint Serapion, I will find a 

lonely cell* 



t6 



** There at last Thou wilt be gff acious ; there Thy 

presence^ longf-concealed^ 
In the solitude and silence to my heart shall stand 

revealed* 



''Thou shalt come, at morn or evening:, o'er the 

rolling: waves of sand ; 
I shall see Thee close beside me, I shall touch Thy 

pierced hand» 

** Lo, Thy pilgrim kneels before Thee ; bless my 

journey with a word ; 
Tell me now that, if I follow, I shall find Thee, 

O my Lord ! '^ 

Felix listened : through the darkness, like the 

whispering: of the wind. 
Came a secret voice in answer : ** Seek arig:ht, and 

thou shalt find.'' 



Long and toilsome was his pathway through the 

heavy land of heat ; 
Egypt's blazing sun above him, blistering sands 

beneath his feet. 



J7 



Still he plodded slowly onward^ step by step and 

mile by mile, 
Till he reached the fu^gfed mountain, beetling 

higfh above the Nile, 



"Where the birds of ait assemble, once a year, their 

noisy flocks. 
Then, departing:, leave their sentinel perched 

amongf the barren rocks. 



Far away, on wings of gladness, over land and 

sea they fly ; 
But the watcher on the summit lonely stands 

against the sky» 



There the eremite Serapion in a cave had made 

his bed; 
There the bands of wandering pilgrims sought 

his blessing, brought him bread* 



Month by month, in deep seclusion, hidden in the 

rocky cleft. 
Dwelt the hermit, fasting, praying ; once a year 

the cave he left. 



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On that day, one happy pilgtim, chosen out of 

all the land, 
Won a special sign of favour from the holy hermit's 

hand. 



Underneath the narrow window, at the doorway 

closely sealed, 
While the afterglow of sunset deepened round him, 

Felix kneeled* 



** Man of God, of men most holy — thou whose 

gfifts cannot be priced ! — 
Grant me thy most precious guerdon ; tell me how 

to find the Christ.^ 



Breathless, Felix howed and listened, but no 

answering voice he heard ; 
Darkness folded, dumb and deathlike, round the 

Mountain of the Bird. 



Then he said, ** The saint is silent — he would 

teach my soul to wait ; 
I will tarry here in patience, like a beggar at his 

gate.'' 



i9 



So the companies of pilgfrims^ clambering up the 
rocky stair, 

Found the lonely, voiceless strangfer by the win- 
dow, lost in prayer. 



Never movingf from his station, watchingf there 

without complaint. 
Soon they came to call him holy, fed him as they 

fed the saint. 



Day by day he saw the sunrise flood the distant 

plain with §:old. 
While the River Nile beneath him, silvery coil- 

in§f, seaward rolled. 



Night by night he saw the planets range their 

glittering court on high. 
Saw the moon, with regal footsteps, climb her 

throne and rule the sky. 



Morn advanced and midnight fled, in visionary 

pomp attired; 
Never morn and never midnight brought the 

vision long-desired. 



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Now at last the day is dawning when Serapion 

makes his gfift ; 
Felix kneels before the threshold, hardly dares 

his eyes to lift* 



Now the cavern-door uncloses, now the saint 

above him stands, 
Blesses him without a word, and leaves a token 

in his hands* 



'Tis the guerdon of thy waiting: — look ! thou 
happy pilgrim, look ! — 

Nothing but a tattered fragment of an old papy- 
rus book* 



Read ! perchance the clue to guide thee tangled 

in the words may lie : 
^* Raise the stone, and thou shatt find Me ; cleeibe 

the %ood, and there am I/^ 



Can it be the mighty Master spake such simple 

words as these ? 
Can it be that men must seek Him, at their toil, 

'mid rocks and trees? 



2\ 



Disappointed, heavy-hearted, from the Mountain 
of the Bird 

Felix mournfully descended, questioningf the Mas- 
ter's word* 



Not for him a sacred dwellingf, far ahove the 
haunts of men : 

He must turn his footsteps backward to the com- 
mon life again* 



From a quarry by the river, hollowed out below 
the hills. 

Rose the clattering voice of labour, clanking ham- 
mers, clinking drills. 



Dust, and noise, and hot confusion made a Babel 

of the spot : 
There, among the lowliest workers, Felix sought 

and found his lot* 



Now he swung the ponderous mallet, smote the 

iron in the rock — 
Muscles quivering, tingling, throbbing — blow on 

blow and shock on shock ; 



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Now he drove the willow wed§fes, wet them till 

they swelled and split, 
With their silent strength, the fragfment — sent it 

thundering; down the pit* 



Now the gfroaningf tackle raised it ; now the roll- 
ers made it slide ; 

Harnessed men, like beasts of burden, drew it to 
the river-side* 



Now the palm-trees must be riven, massive tim- 
bers hewn and dressed — 

Rafts to bear the stones in safety on the rushing 
river's breast* 



Axe and auger, saw and chisel, wrought the will 

of man in wood s 
'Mid the many-handed labour Felix toiled, and 

found it good* 



Every day the blood ran fleeter through his limbs 

and round his heart ; 
Every night his sleep was sweeter, knowing he 

had done his part* 



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Dreams of solitary saintship faded from him ; but^ 

instead^ 
Came a sense of daily comfort^ in the toil for 

daily hread. 



Far away, across the river, gfleamed the white 

walls of the town 
Whither all the stones and timbers, day by day, 

were drifted down* 



There the workman saw his labour takingf form 

and bearingf fruit. 
Like a tree with splendid branches rising^ from a 

humble root» 



Looking: at the distant city, temples, houses, domes, 

and towers, 
Felix cried in exultation : ** All the migfhty work 



Every mason in the quarry, every builder on the 

shore. 
Every chopper in the palm-gfrove, every raftsman 

at the oar — 



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Hewina wood and drawingf water, splitting stones 

and cleavin§f sod — 
All the dusty ranks of labour, in the regfiment of 

God, 



March together toward His triumph, do the task 

His hands prepare : 
Honest toil is holy service ; faithful work is praise 

and prayer. 



So through all the heat and burden Felix felt the 

sense of rest 
Flowing softly, like a fountain, deep within his 

panting breast. 



Felt the brotherhood of labour, rising round him 

like the tide. 
Overflow his heart, and join him to the workers 

at his side. 



Oft he cheered them with his singing at the break- 
ing of the light. 

Told them tales of Christ at nooning, taught 
them words of prayer at night. 



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And he felt the Master's presence drawingf closer 

all the while : 
Though the Master's face was hidden, yet he 

knew it wore a smile* 



Once he bent above a comrade fainting in the 

mid-day heat, 
Sheltered him with woven palm-leaves, gave him 

water, cool and sweet. 



Then it seemed, for one swift moment* secret radi- 
ance filled the place ; 

Underneath the green palm-branches flashed one 
look of Jesus' face* 



Once again, a raftsman, slipping, plunged beneath 

the stream and sank ; 
Swiftly Felix leaped to rescue — caught him, 

drew him toward the bank — 



Battling with the cruel river, using all his strength 

to save — 
Did he dream, or was there One beside him 

walking on the wave ? 



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Now at last the work was ended; grove deserted^ 

quarry stilled, 
Felix journeyed to the city that his hands had 

helped to build* 



In the darkness of the temple, at the closingf hour 

of day, 
Once agfain he sougfht the altar, once a§:ain he 

knelt to pray : 



'' Hear me, O Thou hidden Master ; Thou hast 

sent a word to me ; 
It is written — Thy commandment. I have kept 

it. Look and see. 



"Thou hast hid me leave the visions of the soli- 
tary life ; 

Bear my part in human labour ; take my share in 
human strife. 



** 1 have done Thy biddingf. Master ; raised the 

rock and felled the tree ; 
Swungf the axe and plied the hammer, working: 

every day for Thee. 



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^* Once h seemed I saw Thy presence throug:h the 

bendingf palm-leaves gleam ; 
Once upon the flowing water — Nay, I know not 

— 'twas a dream ! 



** This I know : Thou hast heen near me: more 

than this I dare not ask* 
Though I see Thee not, I love Thee* Let me do 

Thy humblest task r' 



Through the dimness of the temple slowly dawned 
a mystic light ; 

There the Master stood in glory, manifest to mor- 
tal sight : 



Hands that bore the mark of labour, brow that 

bore the print of care ; 
Hands of power, divinely tender ; brow of light, 

divinely fair* 



*' Hearken, good and faithful servant, true dis- 
ciple, loyal friend ! 

Thou hast followed Me and found Me ; I will 
keep thee to the end* 



28 



** Well I know thy toil and trouble. Often weary, 

faintingft worn, 
I have lived the life of labour, heavy burdens I 

have borne. 



** Never in a prince's palace have I slept on golden 

bed, 
Never in a hermit's cavern have I eaten unearned 

bread. 



'' Born within a lowly stable, where the cattle 

round Me stood, 
Trained a carpenter in Nazareth, I have toiled, 

and found it good. 



** They who tread the path of labour follow where 

My feet have trod ; 
They who work without complaining do the holy 

will of God. 



** "Where the many toil together, there am I among 

My own ; 
"Where the tired workman sleepeth, there am I 

with him alone. 



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** If the peace that passeth knowledge, dwell amid 
the daily strife ; 

I, the bread of heaven, am broken in the sacra- 
ment of life. 



** Every task, however simple, sets the soul that 

does it free ; 
Every dctd of love and mercy, done to man, is 

done to Me. 



^^ Thou hast learned the peaceful secret ; thott hast 

come to Me for rest ; 
"With thy burden, in thy labour, thou art Felix, 

doubly blest. 



'^ Nevermore thou needest seek Me ; I am with 

thee everywhere ; 
Raise the stone, and thou shalt find Me ; cleave 

the wood, and I am there.'' 



30 



ENVOY 
THE GOSPEL OF LABOUR 



THE legend of Felix is ended, the toiling of 
Felix is done; 
The Master has paid him his wages, the goal of 

his journey is won ; 
He rests, but he never is idle ; a thousand years 

pass like a day, 
In the glad surprise of that Paradise where work 
is sweeter than play* 

But I think the King of that country comes out 
from his tireless host. 

And walks in this world of the weary, as if He 
loved it the most ; 

For here in the dusty confusion, with eyes that 
are heavy and dim. 

He meets again the labouring men who are look- 
ing and longing for Him. 

He cancels the curse of Eden, and brings them a 

blessing instead : 
Blessed are they that labour, for Jesus partakes of 

their bread* 



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He puts His hand to their burdens^ He enters their 
homes at night* 

Who does his best, shall have as a guest, the Mas- 
ter of Hfe and of lights 



And courage will come with His presence, and 

patience return at His touch, 
And manifold sins be forgiven to those who love 

Him much ; 
And the cries of envy and anger will change to 

the songs of cheer. 
For the toiling age will forget its rage when the 

Prince of Peace draws near* 



This is the gospel of labour — ring it, ye bells of 
the kirk — 

The Lord of Love came down from above, to live 
with the men who work* 

This is the rose that He planted, here in the thorn- 
cursed soil, — 

Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but the blessing 
of Earth is toil* 



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